On a Throne of Lies
by DIVIDED-LEGION
Summary: It's a battle of nature versus nurture for Cora. Twenty years after the fall of Ravenna, the strange girl that's always lived behind the walls of the palace is about to discover that nobody's perfect and that everybody lies. Post-SWATH, will bump rating up to M for violence in later chapters.
1. Life has dark secrets

PROLOGUE

_Life has dark secrets_

Eric was no midwife but the noises coming from the Queen's chambers were not normal and contained enough pain and anguish to make him pace in a furiously manic manner. He covered the rather wide hallway in only a few steps. His thick brow knit together in worry and he wished there was something he could do. No one stood out in the hall with the King, the servants and maids that did not keep the Queen under their watch were asleep, most of them unaware that their monarch was laboring away to bring the heir of Tabor into the world two months earlier than normal. While she had seemed strong throughout the pregnancy, for her labor to have started this early was entirely worrisome to the King. He did not care if it was a son or a daughter; he only wanted a healthy child that would one day rule with the same grace and generosity that its mother had managed to. While it had only been nine months since her coronation, and only seven since his appointment to King of Tabor, the dilapidated wasteland of the kingdom that'd been left behind in Queen Ravenna's wrath and delusional reign was breathing in new gasps of life. Color returned to the streets and the people found fewer woes in their day to day activities. Nothing was perfect yet, but no one said that the road to recovery was an easy one.

However, he still found hope in the tiny amount of progress that'd been displayed in only nine months of the reign of Snow White. Of course, he could not yet give credit to his own abilities as King. He was no born monarch, bred and groomed to rule a complex set of people with their own separate set of needs. Not to mention that seven months was hardly enough time for someone not born to be a ruler to figure out the intricacies that came with ruling multifaceted subjects such as those that claimed a stake of life in Tabor and surrounding villages. He was, after all, a common man with a common set of skills that did not exceed his own bravery. In the past, he had been wounded and blind, bitter and cold. Time, however, healed all wounds it seemed and the healing touch of a new found love was enough to tame the wild beast he had previously been.

When Snow White had originally told Eric that she, out of love and desire to rule beside him, would be appointing him as the King of Tabor he had been a little surprised. He was hardly royalty or of any noble descent. The closest his family had ever gotten to the throne was to dust it off and plump the cushions. Eric knew for a fact that there were far more suitable men to wear the crown that he wore, men like William and men from far off kingdoms with perhaps more charm and class than William himself. Yet in the end it was love and affection that won out over pedigree. However, William had not been entirely happy with his appointment and though he had been offered a very prestigious position within the castle as the ambassador to surrounding kingdoms and dukedoms, he chose to turn it down out of something that resembled childish spite rather than composing himself like the level-headed Duke he claimed to be.

At first, Eric wondered if William's reaction had been because he'd had expected his entire life to ascend to the throne of Tabor aside Snow White simply because he was her oldest friend or because the limited powers that being a Duke presented was not enough. However, in the end his new duties as a King beat out the desire to worry about one man; even if he really did want to befriend this one man. Eric had tried from the start to drop his calloused attitude and seek advice from the scorned Duke, but bad blood between the two prevented anything worthwhile from forming. Eric knew full well that if it was not because of Snow White and her ties to the opinionated Duke, Eric would not suck up his animosity whenever William was around. After all, he was no easily humbled man and it took a lot to accept the angry glares and undercutting sarcasm that William had recently developed around the King.

The King halted mid-stride as the grand double doors that barred him from seeing what was going on within the Queen's chambers squeaked open to reveal a slightly-pale faced, small midwife with blood splattered down the front of her apron. Eric felt his heart drop down and settle at the bottom of his stomach like a heavy stone. For a moment, the two stared at one another. He was far too afraid to ask what had happened and why there was so much blood. The room beyond her was dimly lit with the flickering light of several candles and from where he stood he could not see the bed where his beloved wife lay. Fighting down the worry that choked him, he squared his shoulders and lifted his chin to look down at the midwife, dwarfed by his size and cowering slightly in his long and menacing shadow cast by the lighting in the hallway, to finally ask in a voice that sounded far braver than he felt,

"Well?"

His snappy tone made the woman cast her wavering glance to the side to focus on portraits that lined the hall to reply in a quiet, shaky voice,

"It is a girl."

For a moment, Eric stood quietly and processed the information he had been given. His mood was slowly rising with the news of the birth being over, but the exact details were what he wanted the most. Shifting a little closer to the woman –who backed up slightly into the room with his approach- to ask,

"Is it healthy? And what of the Queen?"

With the mention of Snow White, the midwife cast her glance back over her shoulder to fixate on the weak form of the Queen who lay back against plush pillows with a face whiter than usual. Finally, she looked back at her King and informed,

"The child is well, my liege. The Queen…she is weak. However, she has adamantly requested your presence. We are cleaning the child up and I told her that we will let you in after we wrap the child up and hand her to her moth-"

He had tuned out anything the woman had said when he heard that his presence had been needed. He did not care about the indecency; he did not care about tradition. He cared about the fact that his wife needed him. So instead of standing listening to the bleating woman drag on about what will be done and what will not be done he marched past her and right to Snow White's side. He approached her with caution and reached out with a shaky hand to run a soft finger against the oddly chilled skin that line her sculpted jaw. She opened her wary eyes and smiled as she recognized the worried and lined face of her husband. Reaching up with a weak hand she grasped at his arm and tugged on the silken fabric of his shirt gently. Following her gentle and persuasive tug he sat down beside her and pressed his lips gently to her pale forehead,

"My love, you look worn out. You need to rest."

Snow shook her head in a stronger manner than Eric had expected her to and her voice was raspy as she insisted,

"No, I want to see my daughter."

A strange look flashed across her eyes and for a moment something that might have been uncertainty flooded her features. Eric found himself unnecessarily confused by this before pushing the feeling away to assume that she was worried about the child having a deformity. After all, she had been born two months early. Speaking of his daughter, he let his eyes scan the room to find two huddled maids in the dark corner of the room, speaking in quiet tones amongst themselves with occasional glances back towards the King and Queen. Knitting his thick brow into a look of frustration he snapped at them,

"Well are you going to bring my daughter over for us to see?"

The taller of the two maids turned around and in her arms was a tightly swaddled child with closed eyes. Eric suddenly realized that the whole time he'd been in the room, something was missing. He was no expert on babies, but he had been present for plenty of post-birthing celebrations to know that the child in question was normally always crying. However the child in the maid's arms was quiet with a calm, untutored look on her tiny face. Feeling his breath catch in his throat and hearing Snow take in a sharp breath beside him he clenched her hand tightly and quietly asked with an angry undertone to his voice,

"Are you going to allow us to see her?"

The maid numbly nodded and quickly shuffled over to deposit the wrapped child in Snow's arms. The Queen reached up to take the quiet baby and ran a slim finger down the bridge of her nose. At the contact, the child's eyes opened and both Eric and Snow gasped. Most babies had blue eyes after birth, but instead the child in the Queen's arms had eyes as black as the night sky outside the window. Eric felt his soul grow cold and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Snow's lips tighten into a thin line as she reached up with a cautious hand to remove the top linen from the child's head. Rather than a soft brown downy atop the child's head, a mop of hair as white as snow sat. For a moment, the pair stared down at the strange child as the baby looked at the two faces above her with a look on her face that held far too much sinister intent for Eric to feel comfortable to be near. Pushing up and away from the bed he ran a hand through his dark hair and with a shaky, angry voice he demanded,

"What have you done?"

Snow watched his furious pacing and swallowed painfully,

"I am so sorry…"

Eric's chest began to rise and fall heavily as he turned to her and shouted in a raised voice that finally roused the unnamed child to let out a strangled wail,

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

He stood his ground as a shameful tear dropped down from the corner of Snow White's eye as she looked at her husband then looked away to say,

"It is not what you think, Eric…"

Shaking his head and letting out a harsh, single laugh, he asked,

"It's not? Then tell me what is going on, because _that_," he pointed angrily at the crying child held loosely in his wife's arms, "baby is _not_ mine."

Snow White lowered her eyes and set the child down on her lap. With the sudden loss of being held close, the little girl quieted down immediately and transfixed her strange inky black gaze on the ceiling above her. For a short second, everyone in the room considered the oddity of this before Snow White as she quietly confessed,

"No…she is not yours."

Eric let out a strangled huff of disbelief. Who did the child belong to? With hair white like that, it could not have been William. Was it a guard? A soldier? It took all of his self control to just stand there and shake and shiver like the flickering candle flames that surrounded them to ask in an uneven tone,

"Then who's is she?"

The look that settled itself on Snow's face was a dark and painful one. She closed her eyes and brought up a hand to her eyes to wipe away the tears that had started to fall before whispering in a cold voice that chilled even the heat of Eric's anger,

"Finn."

The two maids that had been far too afraid of their Queen's fate with her angered husband in the room gasped and shuddered at the name. Eric, however, started towards her and sat down at the edge of her bed and reached out to touch her face and directed her gaze to his as he lost all anger in his voice as he asked,

"Finn? As in the dead brother of Ravenna?"

Snow's brow knit into a look of worry as she only managed to bring herself to nod slowly. Hissing at this, Eric stood up and began to pace again before swiveling around and demanded from his wife,

"Did he rape you?"

She nodded her head numbly and whispered, "Yes…"

"When?"

"The night before I escaped…I'm so sorry I never told you. I tried, Eric. I tried so many times to tell you but I could not bring myself to accept the truth. I felt so weak and so helpless. I'm so sorry you had to learn this way."

Eric swiftly closed the distance between them and sat down again. Cupping her face in his calloused hands he planted a gentle kiss on her rosy red lips and quietly told her,

"You are not a weak woman. Finn was an evil man, I cannot be angry at you for falling prey to his malevolence…but I cannot love a child that was fathered by him. Nor should it deserve the luxury of royalty. It could be dangerous."

Reaching out a shaking hand to run nimble fingers through the fine, white hair of the baby, Snow pleaded with her husband, "I do not believe that she is dangerous…"

The two, at Eric's haughty words, looked down at the child who's gaze redirected from the ceiling to Eric. He fought the urge to suck in a sharp breath of air as he swore he saw a flicker of wickedness in the dark hued eyes of the child. He rationalized with himself that no baby barely an hour old should know how to make such a gaze. Standing up he backed away from the child,

"She is not natural."

"She is my daughter!" Snow quickly rose to the defense of the baby, pushing aside the unnerving feeling that had settled in her stomach since she'd first glanced at the child.

"She is Finn's daughter, as well! She has close ties to Ravenna! Can you imagine the problems that could quickly arise in the kingdom if the people learned that the niece of the most evil Queen Tabor has seen was birthed to you? We cannot keep her; she poses a threat to the peace that has only recently settled. I can see it in your eyes that you know this to be a truth as well." Eric was adamant about the danger that the child could pose, crossing his arms across his broad chest to make a point.

Snow White gazed at her husband for an agonizingly long time before retreating her hand from the child and then looked away to stare out the window, "I cannot send her off to live in a place I cannot watch her grow up in. I agree that there is something dark within her, but I believe that with a loving mother not distracted by the duties of a monarchy but equally living within the luxury that royalty brings we can bring out the best in her," she looked at the two women that had remained frozen since the admittance of who the child's father was and ordered in a soft voice, "please go find Marzena, the King's chambermaid. I believe that she too gave birth today to a stillborn."

The two women did not argue with their Queen and quickly scampered out of the room to locate the woman. Eric looked at them as they left before questioning,

"You think that by giving the child who is more or less perhaps born to be evil will prevent the shadows in her soul from rising up? Are you so willing to put the hard-earned peace of Tabor at risk just for a child simply because she is your daughter?"

Snow White sat up straighter against her throne of pillows and squared her chin in a defensive way that reminded Eric that by being the secondary monarch, his word was only suggestion to her. She was, in the end, the ultimate decision on everything. Her eyes lit up with a fire only ignited by the motherly nature within her heart as she carefully said,

"I agree that there is something unnatural about the girl. However, I cannot ignore that she is of my blood and I have always believed, as should you, that light will always outshine the dark. With the proper care and guidance I do not doubt that she will overcome any ghosts in her past. Though I will also agree that she must not know her heritage and that should the people of Tabor discover her origins, they will dissolve into panic. In due time, they will be ready for the truth as will my daughter, but until then she will lead a life free of the pressures of knowing of the good and evil that resides within her."

Eric opened his mouth to argue, but Snow held up a stern hand and looked at him with a hardened glare that he was not entirely used to as she forcefully said, "_that_ is my final decision. However, I would prefer that you were not here when Marzena arrives. I do not want her to know that you know and I would appreciate it if you kept your knowledge to yourself."

Looking dismayed he let his gaze slide to the quiet child whose eyes had suddenly turned to a very light silver. Narrowing his own dark eyes he set his jaw in a harsh line and fought to find a tone of voice void of the frustration he felt boiling in his blood and finally nodded softly before blinking at his wife to quietly say, "I will respect your wishes; but please hear mine: I want us to have a child of our own."

Snow White smiled softly at his request and reached out a hand at him that beckoned him closer. Knotting her hand in his hair, he pulled his face down to hers to plant a passionate kiss and as she broke the embrace she smiled and said softly, "of course. In due time we will produce a proper heir and you will teach him or her all of your strength and I all of my wisdom; but until then you need to rest my love. You have been up for a while. I will meet you for breakfast."

Eric reached down and kissed her gently before doing his best to avoid shooting the baby on her lap a resentful look and said, "rest well, love. I will bring breakfast to you."

She smiled at him as he retreated, but her soft demeanor was quickly wiped away as a sallow-faced Marzena entered the room. Beckoning the two escorting maids from the room and waiting for them to close the doors behind them she motioned for the curvy woman to approach with a curling finger. Sitting up more than she'd been sitting before, she asked greeted her,

"I apologize for requesting your presence at such an unreasonable hour-"

The timid and submissive woman hastily cut her Queen off with a respectful, "it is not a problem."

Smiling slightly at this she reached out and placed her hand atop Marzena's and said, "I am so terribly sorry that your child born today was stillborn, but I must ask you to do something for me."

Knitting her brow together she shook her head and tensed beneath the gentle touch of her Queen, "anything, my Lady."

Sucking in a deep breath of air Snow White asked, "are you producing milk?"

Marzena only nodded at this. Withdrawing her hand from hers, Snow reached down and picked up the baby she held her out and motioned for the woman to take her, "then she is yours."

Marzena stared at the light-eyed child with a look of surprise and worried horror. She shrunk away from the bundle of silence and adamantly shook her head, "no…I cannot take her. I am not worthy of motherhood."

Sternly reaching over and forcing the baby into her arms, Snow White's dark eyes met Marzena's fearful green ones as she ordered, "she is _yours_, and you will raise her as _yours_."

The baby squirmed slightly in Marzena's stiff and nervous arms and out of pure instinct she pulled the baby closer to her and she whispered to the Queen, "what is wrong with her?"

Shaking her head and smiling sadly she asked, "You must keep a secret if I tell you."

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously Marzena nodded and waited for the answer,

"She is not Eric's daughter. Through unfortunate events nine months ago before I escaped the towers of this castle when Ravenna was still Queen of Tabor I was raped by her brother. The child you are holding in your arms is the result of the act."

Marzena suddenly grew fearful of the truth and held the child out quickly to Snow White and hastily said, "I cannot take her."

Snow White scooted away from the child slightly and said, "you _must_ take her. I cannot provide her with the care and love that she would need to overcome the apparent darkness within her. I know that there is good within her, she needs an attentive mother and you are a kind woman with a strong heart. I believe that you can give her what she needs where as I cannot."

The maid swallowed hard and slowly drew the baby back to her and whispered, "who else knows?"

For a moment, the Queen considered telling the truth but in a split second of decision she decided that the child would be safer if her new adoptive mother did not know the number of people that knew and said, "just the two of us. I promise that when she is of age, I will tell her of her parentage and I will deem her a princess of Tabor, but until then she must not know. If she asks of her father, explain that your husband is her father. And for those that question what happened to my child, we will insist that my child was stillborn and yours had lived."

Marzena found herself uncomfortable by the already intricate web of lies that was being woven around this child but as she felt the tiny baby move against her chest she could not help but feel for the child's situation and pointed out, "she will be a changeling."

The Queen looked at the child in her arms before nodding and dryly saying, "yes."

The woman looked down at the baby for a moment, taking in her fine features and slowly found herself taken with the little child and finally looked up at Snow White to say, "I will humbly accept this gift you have given me."

Something hardened within Snow White's eyes and jaw as she said, "she is not a gift. I am giving her to you for the sake of the child and Tabor. Your job is important to the continued peace, I hope that you can keep up your word and avoid telling her the truth until I have a chance to reveal her history to her."

Nodding adamantly the new mother stood, clutching the baby to her chest, and said, "I will not let you down my Queen."

Turning she bid the Queen a good evening and began to walk out, however Snow White raised up on her elbows and curiously asked, "do you know what you will name her?"

Marzena slowly stopped and turned to look at the curious Queen and then down at her new daughter and smiled softly, "Cora."

Snow considered the name for a moment before saying, "it fits her well…Marzena; you have a truly honest and great heart. I will reward you well for this sacrifice you are taking."

Marzena smiled at the praise and shook her head, "I do not need to be rewarded for being a mother."

She then exited and left Snow White to her thoughts. Exhausted, she sunk down into her plush bed and fluttered her eyes closed, drifting off into an uneasy sleep full of nightmares of enemies long gone.

**Author's Notes: **So. I saw Snow White and the Huntsman about a week after it came out. This entire story was inspired by the scene where Finn entered Snow's cell to take her to Ravenna to have her heart eaten and I wondered to myself (though Finn said that he was always allowed to look but not touch) whether or not he could have really controlled himself and Snow was far too fearful of him to have not perhaps been assaulted in the past. I toyed with the idea of her being raped and thus, the story line that this fiction will follow was born! Yes, I am still writing my Avengers FF, **Remember Everything**, but at the same time I will have this project going as well. I warn everyone now that this story will be darker than perhaps what some SWATH fictions have been (I've read a few), and will focus on several OC's with the canon characters as supporting but important pawns in the plot. I cannot even voice how excited I am for this to play out. For now, obviously, the rating is T, but in future chapters I will bump the rating up to M for violence (you will be warned ahead of time as to what chapters are M and what are not). And with that said, welcome to **On a Throne of Lies** please review! I know that this prologue is a little slow but I had to set up the basis of the story :) Thanks for reading guys!

_I do not own any characters except for those you do not recognize being from the movie_

_Chapter titles from the poem 'Secrets' by Letitia Elizabeth Landon_


	2. And the hearts are few

CHAPTER ONE

_And the hearts are few_

Elegant, elongated fingers tipped with finely manicured nails easily traced the cool rock of the castle as she absently traveled down the gloomy halls, shrouded in shadows of the dim early morning light. Snow white hair fell into brilliant steel eyes as she leaned forward to look around a corner. Few people in the castle were awake at such an hour, and yet she excised caution in her fluid movements. Looking up and down the dim corridor once or twice she finally slipped into the darkness and silently padded down the plush carpet, toes curling into the exotic material beneath her feet. She had grown up as an oddity in the castle; the strange child of a simple maid that the Queen placed lavish gifts upon and treated her like her own. Growing up, Cora never questioned Snow White's generously kind gifts of fine silk clothing and lavish jewelry. She played it up to the fact that she had, for ten years, been the only child in the castle. Everyone knew that the King and Queen had tried for several years to conceive and for a considerable amount of time it seemed as if her one stillborn son had doomed her to be an infertile Queen incapable of producing an heir. In a way, she enjoyed the attention. It made her feel like a princess when she was only peasant born, not to mention that she was not the only one that benefitted from the Queen's peculiar openhandedness. Her mother and father did not live in the quarters that most court members and palace maids resided in. The Queen had given the couple a little two bedroom house on the castle grounds not far from the stables and soldier barracks. Though such privileges and gifts were atypical for a child born to parents void of any royal status, Cora had assumed that if there were any other children growing up in the castle alongside her they too would have been treated the same.

Unfortunately, there were many things about the way she grew up and was treated that Cora did not really know the truth about.

For the most part she enjoyed her life in the grand castle of Tabor; that is if she could look past the constant want and desire to see the land beyond the stony walls of the fortified palace. For as rich in lavish things as Cora's life had been, she'd been void of any freedom that would have allowed her to explore the kingdom that she lived within. It'd been a topic for every birthday for as long as she could remember. It'd always start with her begging to be let out to explore the villages just for one day only for the conversation to end with her mother lecturing her about how the world outside of the castle was one full of suffering and loss and that she could not stand to see her beloved daughter so affected by the evil of the world. Usually the argument never made sense to Cora and by the time her mother escalated to her heartfelt rant about evil and innocence she had already tuned her out and conceded her defeat until next year. Her lack of freedom was only made worse by the yearly promise her mother had given her saying that when she was of age the Queen was going to announce something special that would change her life forever. Cora had grown up under the silly assumption that she was somehow a lost princess and that she'd come from a faraway land and that when she turned eighteen she would be retrieved by her people and sat upon a throne and given all the freedom she could ever want.

Of course, this dream had been shattered two years ago when she turned eighteen and no such declaration of lost royalty came. In fact, her eighteenth birthday was celebrated less than any other birthday before. Whereas a large feast with both the King and Queen present with her family's friends and relatives surrounding her and wishing her the best and giving her more presents than she needed or had room for. While for the most part, Cora viewed such festivities as excessive for someone of her lowly status, she found out quickly that when her eighteenth birthday came around she greatly missed the one day of feeling like a real Queen and being the center of attention. Not to mention it seemed like her birthday two years ago had set the precedent for any remaining birthdays she had, her nineteenth had been nothing to brag about, and she was not expecting much today either.

Rather than laying in bed and sulking about it, she had resolved to wandering the castle in the early morning hours before everyone awoke and the palace teemed with life. Her mind, left alone to wander just as she meandered down the dim hallways with only her memories guiding her through the shadows, drifted to what life would be like if she'd been born to a family outside of the castle walls. Sure, she'd often dreamed of scaling the walls and fulfilling her only dream but the one thing that actually stopped her from carrying out such rebellious plans was always the guilt upon thinking of how her mother would look at her if she got caught. Cora had no desire to harm her mother and in the end it was her reluctance to avoid absolute conflict with her parents that kept her put. She might be twenty, and yet she still obeyed her mother and father as if she was ten. The only thing that seemed to have changed about Cora in her years simply her growing desire to break the bond she couldn't even stand to sever. That and her Royal army friend of three years and counting.

At the thought of Ryss, Cora absently smiled into the darkness. If there ever was a boy a mother would grow pale at the sight of and forbid from seeing their daughter, it was Ryss. A soldier in the Royal Tabor Army and proclaimed to be one of the best archers in the land (aside from Duke William), Ryss had grown up on the streets of Tabor as a wanton thief who'd been given a second chance at a better life when someone stuck a bow and arrow in his hands and told him to hunt for his own food. He was the type of person with the type of life that Cora so desperately craved. The lawlessness of his nature and innate freedom drew her to him like a fly to molasses. Their friendship had seemed an almost unlikely one, whereas Cora was a well-educated young woman with a very small circle of knowledge about the world around her, Ryss could barely spell his own name and instead knew just about every village and forest that surrounded Tabor. Yet, friendship and Cora's desire for freedom by living vicariously through the tales Ryss told her prevailed and she found her one token of rebellion against her mother. Though, Cora often told herself that the only reason their friendship ever managed was his close proximity to her. When one could not go beyond her set boundaries, it helped to have someone within the walls to entertain her.

Her mind clouded her movements as she clumsily tripped over a raised edge in the carpet and pulled from her thoughts, she stumbled forward and threw herself to the side, using the wall as a way to catch herself to avoid tumbling down to the ground. Catching her breath and willing her racing heart to calm down, she straightened herself and let out a small, surprised gasp as she finally noticed someone else was in the halls with her. Dressed in over-sized chainmail and dragging a sword far too large for him stood the crowned Prince, a pouty look on his angled face as he eyed Cora with unease. The petite Prince studied her for a long while but refused to meet her eye. For a moment, the two stared at one another before Cora pulled her white hair over her shoulder and said,

"Good morning, Max. I did not think that anyone else was up."

The Prince's scowl only deepened at Cora's words before he haughtily snapped, "it's _Prince Maximus_ to you, peasant woman. And it's hard to sleep when you are clamoring through the hallways like a clumsy dwarf."

It never took long with the prince for Cora to remember that she disliked him simply for his sour attitude. Not to mention he had taken an extreme disliking that often times bordered on fear towards her that she could never quite explain why or how it had manifested. In an attempt to improve her relationship with the ten year old boy who usually ran from the room when she entered, Cora always tried her hardest to avoid letting her frustrations with the dark haired, dark eyed Prince show through. Unfortunately, it was far too early to be facing a Prince ill-fit for battle and to deal with his unruly attitude. Pulling her lips into a thin line she leaned against the wall and tilted her head slightly,

"I've called you Max before and it's never bothered you."

She tried to hold a steady gaze with the boy, but as always he would only look her in the eye for a few seconds before looking away. His expression did not change, and in a way it only grew bitterer with the elongated conversation. He let go of the sword he'd been dragging and crossed his arms and huffed,

"Well seeing that I turned ten five days ago, I think it's time you start addressing me by my title."

Furrowing her brow she wondered how a sweet and supportive pair of parents could manage to produce such an irascible child. Of course, she'd always been told that a child's behavior was a matter of how they were raised, and when it came down to it she really had no idea what went on behind the closed doors of the King and Queen. Biting her lower lip for a moment she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her grey eyes shut before waving a dismissive hand,

"Fine. If that is what you want, Prince Maximus, then that is what I will do from now on. Though, would it be appropriate for me to question why the pampered Prince is up at such an early hour?"

Her slightly sarcastic air flew right over the top of Max's head and having won the battle with Cora's submission into calling him as he had demanded puffed up his ego even more and he only continued to glare at a spot behind her head and said,

"Your willingness to follow orders is endearing and will not be forgotten when I am King. As for your question: all you need to know is that I couldn't sleep and I heard you trip and I came out to investigate. I cannot let my home be invaded by intruders."

Cora had yet to see this serious side of the Prince and found she was having a hard time avoiding chuckling at just how somber he was about his impending job. Resisting the urge to reach out and pat him on his head and tell him 'good boy' she only offered him a small smile and said,

"Well it sounds like you will be more than prepared for when your time to become King arrives. I'm happy to hear that we have such an eager Prince."

Max's mood turned quickly as he snarled, "I hate you."

Frowning at his change Cora finally rolled her eyes and dismissed herself from the conversation, "that's nice, Max. Anyway, I would truly love to stay and chat, but I have a birthday to enjoy."

Rooted to his spot, slightly stunned at how quickly she'd ended the conversation (and without his permission as well) Max could only stutter and yell out, "I-I said to call me Prince Maximus!'

However, already halfway down the hallway and away from him, Cora did not give him the satisfaction of a reply and instead continued walking. Winding through halls and down stairwells, she finally found herself back on the outer grounds of the castle. Pausing for a moment she looked back up at the looming stone figure that had always been a shadow of oppression in her life; she felt a heavy frown pull at the corners of her mouth. Shaking her head and ridding herself of all negative emotions she took a deep and happy breath of the chilled autumn air. The sun was beginning to rise, which meant that the soldiers were just beginning breakfast. A small smile replaced the deep frown as she made a decision to join her friend for the remainder of the morning.

While the continued presence of a female in the dining hall and around the barracks had been one to get used to, the men no longer seemed to notice her anymore. Upon her entrance no heads raised and most every soldier slumped over their morning meal or talked quietly amongst a small group of friends. As always, she found the familiar blond haired, dark eyed Ryss sitting in the corner of the room at the farthest table, and his feet up and his chair leaned against the wall behind him. Sitting down across from him, Cora frowned slightly and said,

"Ryss, you know that you would probably have more company-"

"If I took my muddy boots off the table and smiled more; I know that. I actually hear your scolding in my sleep now, you know. You're nothing but trouble to me," was the thickly accented reply that had cut off her original statement. Sitting back in the uncomfortable chair for a moment, Cora leaned around the table a bit to view her friend from behind his boots and hissed,

"I only have one wish for my birthday and it's for you to take your dirty boots off the table and talk to me!"

Clicking his tongue to the top of his mouth, Ryss offered her the compromise of removing one foot and raised a challenging eyebrow and said, "that is all you're getting. Just because you're the only female worth talking to that isn't a maid or the Queen inside the castle walls doesn't mean that I'm going to obey everything you say just to please you. Besides, you have grown up far too spoiled to just want attention from your dirty army friend for your one birthday wish."

Scowling angrily at him, always internally amazed at how quickly he could push her buttons, she reached forward and pulled his other foot from the table and said, "I am not spoiled. And maybe I would rather spend a day with you than accept gifts that I have no use for anymore."

Huffing as his foot stomped down to the ground; Ryss leaned forward onto the table and inquired, "A day with me, is that so?" At his question, Cora shrugged and nodded and he continued with a dry tone, "well I don't know if you've forgotten but I don't exactly have the luxury of taking a day for myself to spend with friends and whimsically roam the boring castle grounds with you, discussing higher education and fairy tales."

In a way, Cora _had_ forgotten that Ryss had a job to do and she deflated slightly as she ran a fingernail across a groove in the wood of the table, looking down and away from him she quickly apologized, "sorry, you're right. Maybe they will have a big dinner and I can invite you?"

Ryss laughed at this, "and again you assume that I would want to spend an evening dressed to impress two monarchs I am not entirely out to impress."

Frowning angrily at his dismissal of her invitation to her birthday feast she snapped at him, "would it honestly kill you to do what _I_ want to do for one measly hour?"

Returning her sour look he replied in a voice almost as angry as hers, "maybe it would, Cora! Besides, whenever I have time to entertain you, we do plenty of what you wish to do."

Scrunching her face up in frustration she hissed, "actually, we usually just sit at the gate of the castle while I read and you try to court every girl in the village that passes by. If you think that is my idea of enjoying a day with my only friend, then I think you and I need to discuss your understanding of such a thing."

Smirking at this Ryss leaned his cheek into his open palm and said, "well Cora. If you were jealous of my attention going to other girls, then you should have said so! I can just pine for your affections instead if you'd rather that."

Feeling her face grow hot at the idea Cora shook her head and anxiously played with her hair before snapping back at him, "no, I was just pointing out that we don't actually do _exactly_ what I want to do."

Catching her unease, her friend laughed at her expense and said, "alright. How about this: tonight you finally break the bond of oppression from your parents and their wishes to keep you forever trapped behind these walls and we will do whatever you please for your evening of birthday freedom."

For as tempting as the idea of freedom was, as always the fear of getting caught and what truly lie beyond the safety of the walls she'd grown up behind kept her from initially accepting his offer. Her silence was enough for him and he already knew the answer before she opened her mouth to say,

"I would love more than anything to spend an evening out, you know that. But I can't abuse my mother's trust in me"

In a fit not atypical for her friend, Ryss grew irritated with her hesitation and quickly stood up, the wood legs of the chair scraping loudly against the stone floors. However, such a sudden movement and noise was not uncommon for a group of men kept in close quarters with little freedom and as he spoke with a raised voice, no one dared to turn a head. Cora shrunk back as he loomed over her,

"If you are going to spend your entire life worrying about what to do and what not to do based on what you have been told ,then you do not have the right to complain about all that you do and do not have. Though, I would like to point out that you are twenty years old today, Cora. If now is not a good time to establish yourself as a young woman with a mind of her own –as you continually preach to me- then perhaps you should give up that dream too, yes? However, I think that the allure of a freedom you do not yet have will be too much for you to ignore. I'll be waiting outside the gates at midnight."

While at first Cora thought that he was going back to his bunk to sleep or stew over his own anger for her reluctance to break the rules that had been set down for her, she promptly realized that breakfast was over and every soldier was filing out to report for training. Suddenly alone in the room, she avoided eye contact with the maids that hurried in to clean up the mess left behind. She walked with her head down, her hair falling into her face. Ryss's words repeated in her mind over and over again like a broken clock forced to chime for all of eternity. The journey from the barracks back to her little home was not long and by the time she slipped through the front door, her mother and father were barely waking up. Greeting her aging mother with a hug she smiled brightly as they wished her a happy birthday. Her mother, as she did every year, provided her with a hopeful promise,

"Happy birthday my beautiful daughter! I feel that this is the year the Queen will favor you with important knowledge."

Cora was used to hearing the pledge, and while when she was younger she eagerly awaited the moment for the Queen to wish her a happy birthday, the years of getting nothing but a strangely intimate hug and a kiss on both cheeks had grown old to the young woman. She quietly thanked her mother and father and set about helping them with breakfast. While the food was prepared, the chatter between the three was light. They discussed the dinner that would inevitably take place with the King and Queen and many subjects. Cora was informed of the new dress that had been sent to her to wear for the evening. They talked many other things, but as the food was served and the conversation died down, Cora fell prey to her thoughts. She sat quietly at the table with her parents, picking around her food with her head in her hands. The subdued mood of their daughter was palpable and finally Marzena dared to ask,

"What is wrong, Cora?"

Though she already knew the outcome of what she was about to ask, the light haired young woman sat up a little straighter and asked anyway, "what if I do not want a big celebration for my birthday? What if I just want to go out into the village for one night with someone?"

The air in the room grew cold as Marzena instantly shut down and fearfully snapped, "_no_. You aren't allowed out of the castle grounds. You ask the same question every year and I do not know why you continue to ask it when you know the answer. One more year is not going to change my mind."

In an attempt to end the conversation on her words, her mother stood up and gathered the dishes and carried them outside to the wash tub. Eager to win a decision in her favor, Cora followed her out while her father passively retreated to the inner room of the house to return to his writings. Calling after her mother she huffed angrily,

"I cannot understand _why_ my continual imprisonment behind these walls is so important anymore, mother! I am twenty years old; I'm tired of playing dress up for one day to pretend to be a princess. I do not want to sit through another jubilant celebration that I've had nineteen other times. Why can't you just let me out for one night? Ryss has offered to-"

The second his name left her mouth, Cora knew she'd made a mistake. Her mother had never liked her scruffy army friend. She'd always said that he was a bad influence on her and was a perfect reason why she was better off behind the walls of the castle, safe from the outside world with men like him. Cora, of course, did not see the danger in her friend and often laughed with him about her mother's over caution pertaining to him. The plate that Marzena had been gripping slipped from her hands and crashed to the dusty ground as she whirled around to face a daughter that she had not birthed. She studied her oddly exotic and angled face that was dangerously close to resembling Ravenna's. However the worry of who she looked like was pushed as she replaced her expression with an aggressive fire as she hissed through clenched teeth,

"So was it him that put you up to asking to go out for one night this year?"

Cora knew that her mother was well aware where the idea had come from. She swallowed hard and blatantly lied, "no! It is my own desire to be free to do what I want and come and go as I please. You cannot keep me locked up in here forever; it is maddening to do the same thing over and over again. I have nothing left to learn but to learn how to live my life without you or father, or the Queen!"

Marzena's weathered face fell as she turned back to the cold water and absently scrubbed plates that were already mostly clean and said, "I have told you a thousand times that I do not like that boy. I do not see why you are so insistent on seeing him. He is hardly worthy to court you anyway. Regardless, the answer is no. You will clean yourself up for the evening and you will enjoy the party that the Queen is putting together for you. You will be grateful for all you have, you will smile and be pleasant and you will _enjoy_ your birthday."

Cora stood quietly, a sick numbness spreading throughout her body. She had been used to such lectures all her life, but today she was tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. It was in that moment that she decided there was nothing more her mother could do or say that would stop her from taking an evening out into a world she so desperately wanted to be a part of. For a moment, she simply watched her mother with a forlorn look on her face, but eventually retreated within the house to do the chores she'd been assigned to do all of her life.

The remainder of her day was lived out in repetitive monotony and the tension between her and her mother was strained. She tried her hardest to find happiness in the impending dinner, but the thrill of knowing that she was going to break every rule and finally get the freedom she had so desperately longed for all of her life overshadowed the joy of spending a dinner with wealthy and powerful people. Obediently, she readied herself for her party that she did not want; accepting the aid of two maids as she slipped into the silver and pink dress that had been made for her just for her birthday dinner. As always, she muddled through being congratulated and handed things, she listened to speeches about how she had grown up into such a fine lady and she avoided contact with the Prince and King at all possible moments. Even when the Queen's main speech came, she was not expecting much and was hardly surprised when it contained the exact same message and congratulations that it contained every year before.

As per any party thrown by someone with extensive access to various exotic things and deep pockets, there was dancing and music, fine food and good wine. Conversation was light and new friends were made. For the first hour of the celebration, Cora spent her time scanning the crowd for the familiar face of Ryss and chided herself after the eighth or ninth time of searching for him. Such a party was not his type of environment and she was not even sure that he even had clothes fine enough to keep him from sticking out like a black dog against the winter snows amongst the crowd of highly educated and sophisticated people. However, she was not discouraged by this as she did not expect much from him. Her eyes constantly watched the clock on the wall, counting down the seconds for the party to be over. However, her heart began to sink as she realized that the festivities were seemingly going to last well on into the night. Her desperation for independence began to cloud her every judgment and as the minute hand on the clock ticked ever treacherously close to midnight, she began to quickly excuse herself from her own party; explaining to her guests that she was not feeling well. Many condolences and added congratulations were given as she slowly saw herself out.

What she was not expecting was to have the Queen being the one remaining entity that stood between her and a night of liberty. She abruptly stopped her quick pace and bowed to Snow White. The dark haired monarch smiled at the white haired woman, wrinkles forming at the corner of her eyes as she did so. Her voice was soft as she said,

"The word has traveled fast that you are not feeling well. Can I send you a physician to aid you in a swift recovery?"

Slightly unsure of what to say, Cora quickly shook her head and reassured the Queen that she was just tired. A small, almost knowing smile lit up the Queen's eyes as she reached out and gently cupped Cora's face, an odd look overcoming Snow White as she almost sadly said, "you have grown into such a fine young woman, Cora. Your mother told me about your request and while I know better than anyone that growing up without freedom is not a way to live, you must understand that she's only doing it for your own good, to protect you from all of the bad in the world. You are precious to her and it would break her heart if something happened to you."

While she was never the type to be disrespectful or even think a condescending thought, the lecture had been one she'd been hearing for years and Cora could only offer the Queen a distasteful look as she jerked her head away from Snow White's touch and promptly said, "yes, I understand. If you will excuse me, your highness, I am tired. I truly appreciate all that you have done for me this evening, and this dress is beautiful. Thank you, but if I may be excused to retire I would be very grateful."

Snow White studied the face of the peculiar girl who hardly looked her age and finally nodded and wished her a good evening before turning and melting back into the jubilant crowd. Blinking once or twice at the direction the Queen had gone; Cora hurried out of the room. The chilled night air hit her hard and she sucked in a sharp breath, running across the grounds she burst into her house and grabbed her cloak. Draping it over her shoulders and shoving her white hair beneath the hood she hurried out of the warm hut and quietly snuck through the darkness and to the gates. Peering around the corner of the stone structure, she eyed two guards who seemed to be asleep. The main gate, thankfully, had remained open to allow guests to come and go as she pleased. However, with the prospect of what she had always wanted finally before her, she grew nervous. Swallowing she whispered into the night,

"Ryss?"

Silence was all that replied back. Her heart sank and she began to wonder if he had grown tired of waiting. Lingering for a few moments before, disappointment began to chill her veins. Turning to leave, she let out a rather loud shriek as she ran straight into someone's chest. However, her loud exclamation was cut short as a hand wrapped around her face to stop her scream and she was hurried past the snoring guards onto the other side of the wall. Fighting against whoever was dragging her away, she finally broke from the grasp and threw two poorly aimed fists at her attacker, only to have her hands caught in familiar rough hands and for her to hear a familiar laugh. Growing angry now, she yanked her grip from Ryss's and stumbled back, shouting at him,

"What did you think you were doing? Was it funny to you to scare me like that?"

Shushing her and grabbing her by the arm to drag her down the street, farther and farther away from the castle grounds he leaned over and said, "I was actually a little late meeting up with you, I was just arriving when you turned and ran into me. Obviously yelling like you did was not going to get you very far and I honestly wouldn't have had much time to explain that it was just me, so I did the most logical thing and pulled you towards your destiny of freedom."

Looking back over her shoulder at the castle that loomed in the darkness, framed by the silver light of a half-moon she finally came to terms with the fact that she was finally free. Though for one night, she had achieved what she'd always wanted. Her heart leapt up to her throat as she chased away her anger at her friend and said, "then I suppose I must thank you for acting so quickly."

Ryss offered her a bright smile in return and said, "well that is certainly enough thanking for one night. You have an entire village to explore. Where shall I escort the Escaped Lady to first?"

A strange and wild thought crossed Cora's mind and a devious smile slipped across her face as she boldly said, "I want to visit the most crowded, rowdiest, famous tavern."

Curious at her request, Ryss was not one to pass up a place that held a good party and considering the hour and that the night was still relatively young, he knew just where to take her. Of course, his own selfishness to wish to have a good time as well kept him from truly worrying about whether or not such an overwhelming place would be right for Cora. Grinning at her he pulled her down a small street and said,

"I know just the place."

**Author's Notes: **Well, this chapter took a little bit of time for me to write. I hope it was OK! I had a little difficulty figuring out how to introduce Cora and Ryss (said as if his name was spelled Reece) along with bringing the Prince in for future reference as well. Yes, there's a bit of a Tangled influence on Cora's life, if you're wondering ;) **Mheetu**, ah you crazy fool I love you. You're so sweet, thanks for reviewing! **LenaLove**, well by saying that they're not going to be focal characters, I do not mean that they will be completely absent throughout the entire story. Snow White will have a constant influence on Cora as will Eric. Not to mention William will be making an appearance as well, but I hope you stick around and read the story :) **NUNICHAN**, why thank you! And I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that felt suspicious about his creepy actions. I hope you enjoy the story! And thanks to everyone that's added this story to their alerts and favorites :)

_I do not own any characters except for those you do not recognize being from the movie_

_Chapter titles from the poem 'Secrets' by Letitia Elizabeth Landon_


End file.
